FDA approves Spravato nasal spray for depression

The US Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved Spravato (esketamine) nasal spray, in conjunction with an oral antidepressant, for the treatment of depression in adults who have tried other antidepressant medicines but have not benefited from them (treatment-resistant depression).

The approval follows a positive decision from the advisory panel of the US FDA in February for the drug that has been developed by US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson’s (NYSE: JNJ) Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit.

The drug, which is also under review with the European Medicines Agency, is the first ketamine-based medicine approved to treat depression. Other firms, such as San Francisco’s VistaGen Therapeutics (Nasdaq: VTGN), are also investigating the therapeutic potential of ketamine-like alternatives.